The 36 new Conservative women MPs have brought dramatic change to the Tory
Party in the last year, writes Amber Rudd.

The members' lobby in the House of Commons has four exits. The main one is into the Chamber, past the division lobbies, where we go to vote. When the House is sitting, only members can be there. There are four grand statues in each corner of this lobby: Winston Churchill, in familiar belligerent pose, with his character undiminished by the tip of his foot being varnished into a brassy gold by MPs constant touch; Clement Attlee, guarding the entrance to the opposition whips door and opposite him Lloyd George. And of course Margaret Thatcher, with her hand raised and mouth open, as she lectures the other former Prime Ministers.

All four Prime Ministers were strong medicine for difficult times. Churchill and Lloyd George were war time leaders, and Attlee and Thatcher led the country through difficult economic periods. Despite their achievements, the country was pleased to see the back of each of them. They might have put things right, but it took a new leadership to build the country's confidence back up and strengthen communities.

Margaret Thatcher was in the tradition of women MPs who had no particular interest in women. The first woman MP to take her seat, Nancy Astor, was actually anti-suffragette. She had inherited her seat from her husband after he went into the House of Lords. Despite her experience at the hands of a violent first husband, she was no social reformer. And Bessie Braddock on the Labour side soon toughened up after Churchill's relentless bullying of her.

Women in Parliament are caught on the horns of a dilemma. Most of us are naturally interested in issues that most concern women, such as primary schools, public health, housing and safety. And so we are encouraged to work in those areas, but it is wrong to exclude women from departments such as defence or foreign policy. Peace is very much a woman's issue. Mo Mowlem demonstrated that with her role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She was an extraordinarily able and charismatic politician, who did vital work leading to peace in Northern Ireland.

I am part of a record breaking new intake of Conservative women MPs. There are now 47 women out of 306 Conservative MPs and 36 of us are new. And one year on, the new intake has found its way and is getting organised.

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Among the 47 Conservative women MPs there are some who say, "I don't do Women's issues". They are nervous of only doing "Women's issues". But most of our group is different. Most of us are conscious of the struggle we had to become MPs and the issues that women face that are different to men’s. Within the 47 women conservative MPs, groups are forming to influence policy, to raise issues of equality in debates, and to put women and families on the agenda.

Labour's big entry of women MPs was in 1997 when they went from 37 to 101. They were instantly disparaged as Blair's Babes and there were some early casualties. There was an attempt to pin us with some such nick name, but thankfully it didn't stick. Some of the 1997 Labour women were stunned to actually win their seats as the enormous landslide swept them in. That is very different to the new Conservative women of 2010. There has been nothing haphazard about our individual successes in getting elected. We have all fought for many years to get here.

One year on, new women MPs are raising their voices. It matters to us that only 22 per cent of MPs are women. That needs to change. We fought hard to have a debate in the Chamber for International Women's Day, something that some male Conservative MPs opposed. Some longstanding Conservative MPs have been hardened against recognising the need to address issues of equality, because it was championed by the Labour party when Conservatives were in opposition. During the recent Labour years there was open hostility between the Labour "sisterhood" and Conservative MPs. Our own Conservative women MPs simply didn't have the numbers to broker a truce. That is now changing because the new Conservative women MPs are determined to take ownership of Women's issues back.

We want to influence Conservative policy to encourage more women into politics and to make sure that Governement policies carefully consider issues to do with women. We differ from our Labour colleagues on how equality can be achieved. As Conservatives we prefer to make the case to support reform, to argue and to persuade and we are naturally suspicious of the state ordaining how these changes should be implemented. We are supportive of the Equality Act, but are mindful of how it affects small businesses. There is no point having equality in the business place if the regulations kill off small businesses. Consequently we are less likely to support quotas in the board room or all women short lists in selections for MPs. This is a sore point for Labour MPs as every Conservative MP won their seat in a selection that had both men and women in it.

Labour have just published a list of seats that have been told that they have to select from an all women shortlist. My own constituency of Hastings and Rye is on that list and it is causing havoc and resentment among the local Labour party.

The arrival of 36 new Conservative women MPs is a dramatic, permanent change to the Conservative Parliamentary party. We grew out of the ground that Margaret Thatcher ploughed, but in our approach to supporting women, we are not her children. We are clear and confident that our Conservative party can support women and oppose inequality. And as Margaret Thatcher might have said, there is no turning back.

Amber Rudd was elected Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye on May 6, 2010.